Friday, 6 April 2012

French Vanilla Ice Cream

Another kitchen gadget put to good use - my ice cream maker. Sometimes I wonder if it's worth making my own ice cream as there are so many really good ones out there. Then I make my own and realise I must be mad, homemade ice cream is in a class of its own.

NOTE: My ice cream is very yellow because I have my own free range, corn fed hens who lay magnificent eggs with orange yolks.

Put the cream, milk, vanilla seeds and pod into a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. When the cream comes to a simmer, remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Once cooled a little, remove the vanilla pod.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt together until well combined. Continue to whisk while you gradually add the warm cream mixture to the eggs a little at a time. Once all cream mixture has been incorporated, pour the custard back into the pan.

Put the pan in a medium-low heat and stir until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon (I use a digital thermometer and heat it to 86C). Remove from the heat and strain into a large jug. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap sit directly on top of the custard to prevent a skin from forming, and chill in the refrigerator.

Once completely cold, churn in an ice cream machine following the manufacturer's instructions (mine takes about 15 - 20 minutes) for soft-serve, or chill in the freezer to firm up.